It’s pretty amazing what Fringe has accomplished with its alternate universe. A simple opening scene like tonight’s shot of the Empire State Building with an airship flying past speaks volumes without actually saying a word. While most television shows grow stale and actors spend years of their lives playing the same character, in Fringe, actors get a whole new lease on life (literally, in Charlie’s case) and can approach their character from an entirely new angle. The show's ability to build a whole new world is just astounding, and the subtle changes have a profound impact on the “over there” episodes.

Tonight’s alternate universe journey introduced us to scary bug doctor Anton Silva (Alon Aboutboul, The Mentalist) and his weird brand of body-eating beetles. While there were no big surprises with Silva’s storyline, which played out as fairly typical “freak of the week” material, it’s the subtle changes within the alternate universe that allow episodes like this to still be worthwhile. I loved the touch of sheep joining the “over there” extinction list along with ball-point pens, and it’s always fun to look out for tiny differences.

Some of the biggest differences revolved around Walternate. Even something as simple as seeing him at home with a woman is such a leap from the isolation we’re used to seeing with our Walter. I appreciate how strong he is compared to the fragile Walter, and it’s engrossing seeing him talk things over with his companion when we’re so used to seeing him confide only in Astrid or Peter. The nicest touch, though, was his refusal to test cortexiphan on children. This is a fascinating ethical difference between Walternate and our Walter, and I really hope this is a theme they explore more in the future. Walternate has been so clearly painted as the antagonist by this point that it’s a very brave move on the writers’ part to give him such a clear-cut sympathetic and humanizing stance.

The situation at Fringe Division was very interesting in the wake of Colonel Broyles’s disappearance, and it’s intriguing to think about whether or not the people in this universe will ultimately figure out what happened or if they’ll continue to presume that Broyles is only missing. I liked seeing Lincoln promoted into the boss position here since he has no alternative in our universe. Having an entirely different person in the chair is a subtle but effective way of setting this universe apart.

Olivia’s situation with her boyfriend was fairly predictable, but it is fun seeing Anna Torv have such great chemistry with someone other than Joshua Jackson. It’s also worth noting how little I missed Peter’s presence here. I’ve always liked that character, but this world feels so separate and detached from the other universe that I never for a moment felt like something was missing. I don’t think I’d ever want Peter to be removed entirely, but it’s nice to have a diversion every so often.

The showdown at Silva’s lab played out much like previous bad guy encounters, but I did enjoy Lincoln’s awesome nitrogen escape from the freezer. Olivia’s infection scare was especially great because we can never quite predict what’s going to happen in this universe, and for that reason, a moment like that has actual stakes. When the main character in any show is in some kind of mortal danger, it’s usually a safe bet to assume that they’ll survive, but in the world Fringe has created, that’s not always the case. It’s great to see a moment like that with actual weight behind it, since with our Olivia back at home, this Olivia could actually potentially be killed off.

Olivia’s pregnancy did feel a little soap opera-y, but I like the implication it has. Since we already know that whichever Olivia Peter picks will be the one whose universe survives, adding a baby into the mix to throw a wrench into his decision is certainly a clever move. I loved the look on Olivia’s face after Walternate pointed out that it’s his grandchild, and it’ll be interesting to see where her loyalties lie.

Fringe does a great job of making these stand-alone episodes feel more significant since the alternate universe itself is a serialized element, and “Immortality” gave us some twists that will absolutely come into play in the near future. I’m glad we’ll return to our universe next week, but I hope we don’t have to wait too long to come back to this alternate universe. I wouldn’t even mind the show beginning to alternate back and forth again, as they’re clearly building to some kind of showdown for the finale. This episode definitely raised the stakes, and I’m excited to see how everything unfolds.

8/10

----------

Fringe airs on Fox on Fridays at 9PM. Keep checking my blog for more reviews, and be sure to follow me on twitter for my thoughts on this and other shows.